Skirt-measuring machine.



incassa.

Application filed January 2, 1913.

To all fio/tom it may concern Be it known that I, Renner Gonns'rmN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Skirt-l/Ieasuring Machines, of which the following is a specilt cation.

My invention relates in general to skirt measuring machines which are employed in fitting skirts to indicate the proper length thereof and insure a uniform height thereof from the floor. In using such machines the person being fitted stands upon a platform and a vertically movable ring is elevated to the desired height. The skirt is either permitted to fall over the ring or within the same, depending upon the amount of material in the skirt. The skirt is then held against the inner or Outer edge of the ring. The exact distance of the skirt from the floor when upon the person is thus accurately determined, and the even height of the skirt obtained by marking and cutting the skirt to the length indicated by the machine.

The objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the mechanism for operating the ring so that the machine may be used with greater ease, safety and accuracy, and also to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description which when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing discloses one preferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing: Figure l is a bottom plan view of a skirt measuring machine made in pursuance of my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line Q-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, and Fig. l is a partial side elevation showing the measuring scale and its relation to the various parts of the machine.

Referring to the drawings: A circular platform 5 is mounted upon a plurality of pairs of legs 6-6, two such pairs being preferably provided. A peripheral edge of the platform is eut away as at 7 for the reception of a ring 8 which is adapted to be moved vertically to determine the proper length of a skirt, and has been hereinbefore described.

The vertical movement of the ring is attained by means of a mechanism consisting Specification of Letters Patent.

ROBERT GOLDSTEIN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SKIRT-MEASURING MACHINE.

Patented May 19, 1.9M.

Serial No. 739,628.

primarily of a plurality ofraek bars 9, pinions 11 mounted upon shafts l2, and an operating handle 13. lflach of the rack bars is secured at its end to the ring S, and extends vertically downwardly therefrom preferably through a suitably formed rectangular aperture lll4 in a leg (3. In the preferred form of the invention shown in the drawings a rack bar is provided for cach leg, and the legs are extended outwardly beyond the platform 5 to permit the rack bars to be disposed through thc apertures 14- as described. Each rack bar is preferably provided with a metallic strip 15 disposed longitudinally thereof and alixed thereto by suitable fastening means. One or more of these strips is graduated in appropriate units, preferably inches, and serves to indicate the height of the upper surface of the ring above the upper surface of the platform. Upon the leg througl'i which a graduated strip is disposed are provided a pair of lips 10. These lips extend upwardly upon opposite sides of the strip and rack bar adjacent the cutaway portion 7, and have their outer faces disposed substantially in the plane of the outer graduated face of the strip. Upon these lips are marked, inlaid, or otherwise provided a pair of arrows 10', forming indicators, preferably of a brilliant color. 'lhe graduations upon the strip or strips, designated generally by the reference character 1G, begin a distance beneath the upper surH face of the ring equal to the distance between the said upper surface and the said arrows when the ring is resting in the cutaway portion 7. Such a graduation permits the height of the ring to be read directly at the arrows without requiring that in each reading allowance be made for this distance between the rino' and the arrows. The metallic strips 15 serve not only to provide graduations for determining the height of the ring but protect the rack bars from injury when the ring is elevated, and protect also `the hand of the operator from coming in contact with the teeth of the rack bar during the marking and adj usting of the skirt.

A shaft 12 is preferably provided for each pair of rack bars, and is preferably journaled in the legs as at 1.7 and 18. Two pinions 11 are preferably tixedly mounted upon each shaft and each in engagement' with a rack bar, and the strips 15 are preferably spaced apart from the rack bars 9 by means of suitable spacers 19 to permit more firmV Formed upon each leg and extending i11- wardly of the machine is a lip 21 disposedl behind and extending beyond its corresponding metallic strip 15 and its rack bar 9 to pre-V vent transverse movement of the rack bar out of engagement with its corresponding pinion.

One Vof the shafts 12 is disposed completely through a kleg 6 and provided with an operating handle 13. This shaft is preferably disposed through an auxiliary bearing 20,V and iiXedly mounted thereupon adjacent 'the bearing 2O is a ratchet wheel 22 which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 23 formed upon the end of a lever 24 pivo-tally mounted beneath the platform as at 25. The lever 211 comprises primarily a pair of angularly disposed arms, one of which terminates in an operating lip 26 located beneath and at the side of the platform, and the other of which is provided with a pair of downwardly disposed lugs 27 having their adjacent faces rounded as at 28, said lugs being disposed upon opposite sides of the shaft 12 carrying the ratchet wheel 22. A spring 29 is connected to the lever and to the platform to yieldingly maintain the pawl 23 in engagement with the ratchet wheel 22. The other shaft 12 of the present embodiment of the invention comprises an idle shaft which serves merely to maintain the ring in horizontal position and to cause all parts of it to move vertically in unison. When the handle'l is turned to elevate the platform the pinions upon the shaft connected thereto positively actuate the rack bars to lift the ring, the pinions mounted upon the other shaft causing the two rack bars connected thereto to move together, preventing thereby the movement of any rackbar in degreegreater than any other.

The ring is maintained at any desired elevation immediately upon the release of the handle by means of the pawl 23 engaging the ratchet 22. When the lip 26 is pressed the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet, and the weight of the parts causes the ring to settle into its low'ermost position. The lugs 27 upon the lever 24 engage the shaft 12 disposed therebetween when the lip 26 is moved inwardly sufficiently and prevent `too `rapid descent of the ring by actingas a brake upon the shaft.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood fromV the foregoing without further description, and it will be obvious that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its material advantages, t-he form hereinbefore described being merely one preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim 1. A skirt measuring machine comprising a base, a horizontally disposed and vertically movable ring, legs supporting the said base, a plurality of members each rigidly secured at an end to the said ring and movable through a suitably'formed aperture in a leg, one of said members having a surface graduated longitudinally, and ak lipV mounted on the leg through which the'grad- 8e uated member moves having a face provided with an indicator and disposed in the plane of the graduated surface of the i' member whereby the height of the ring above the base may be read opposite the indicator.

2. A skirt measuring machinev comprising a base, a horizontally disposed vertically movable ring, a pair of rack bars secured to and depending downwardly from saidring; Vj a shaft mounted in said base, pinions iXed on the said shaft in engagement with said rack bars, a ratchet wheel iiXed on said shaft, a lever pivoted on the base, an end of the said lever being provided with a pawl" for engaging the said ratchet wheel, and a pair of lugs loosely embracing the said shaft when the samev is in normal position and serving as a brake when the said lever is manipulated to release the pawl from the, ratchet. y

3. A skirt measuring machine comprising a base, a horizontally disposed and vertically movable ring, a rack bar connected atan end to said ring and extending vertically?` downwardly thro-ugh a suitablyy formed aperture in the base, means for elevating said rack bar to elevate the ring, means for maintaining the ring in horizontal position, and an element disposed longitudinally of" and movable with said rack bar, said element serving as a guard'for said rack bar and being graduated longitudinally to permit determination of the height 'of the ring by observing the length of the element dis-1' posed above a given point. l

4. A skirt measuring machine comprising a base, a horizontally disposed vertically movable ring, an elevating mechanism for positioning said ring at a desired. heightY above said base, a device adapted to ber moved into and out of operative relation with said mechanism for locking said mechanism against movement, and means movable with s'aid device for Arestraining the downward velocity of said ring when said locking ldevice is in inoperative relation with said mechanism. 1

5. A skirt measuringmachine comprising a base, a horizontally disposed verticallyT movable ring, an'elevating mechanism for 130 positioning the ring at a desired height above said base, a device adapted to be moved into and out of operative relation with said mechanism for locking said mech anism against movement7 and means carried by said locking` device forrest 'aining the downward velocity of said ring when said locking device is in inoperative relation with said mechanism.

6. A skirt measuringmachine comprising a base, a horizontally disposed vertically movable ring, an elevatingmechanism for positioning said ring at a desired height above said base, a device for locking said mechanism against moven'ieni', and means for retin-ding downward movement of said ring', said lockin device and l'etarding means being rigidly connected and arranged to permit said retarding means' to engage said mechanism when the locking device is moved out oitl engagement with said mechamsm.

ROBERT GOLDSTEIN. Titnesses A. P. ANTHONY, W. W. BARNES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

